


The Mirror's Prisoner

by zinorchid



Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Kirby - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Dark Meta Knight's POV, Dark Mind took over the Mirror World, Flashbacks, Gen, Italics, Lololo and Lalala were fused into Lola, Mix of Japanese/English Terms, Post-Canon, Shadow Kirby wasn't born yet in Dark Meta Knight's universe, Violence, a nice dose of trauma, bringing other characters into KRBY is always fun, but some other characters' too, so have this, so he doesn't recognize Kirby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:35:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28497684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zinorchid/pseuds/zinorchid
Summary: Awakening from a long slumber in his eternal prison, the Dimension Mirror, Dark Meta Knight manages to free himself. But rather than returning home to the Mirror World, he finds himself in the "light world", and soon discovers his counterpart resides there as well. Consumed by vengeance, he plans to destroy his counterpart and all others who dare to oppose him. Although, he vastly underestimates the strength of one of Dream Land's residents, and has to exert every last scrap of strength he has to defeat him...For him, shattering one prison only leads to being trapped in another.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	The Mirror's Prisoner

**Author's Note:**

> hhhhh i don't usually post stuff but... have a kirb thing because i got the idea for this and thought it'd be fun... so... here!
> 
> also happy new year everyone!

Something strange was happening.

For the first time in a very long while, his strength was returning. Not only that… but his  _ consciousness. _ His bones ached, his eyes ached, his head ached—everything ached, and he felt like he was underwater in exhaustion. Even in his current state, he tried to force his tired mind into searching for answers: why was he like this? What was he last doing? Where  _ was _ he?

But all that came to him were groggy, light-headed images and blurry afterthoughts. He couldn’t focus, couldn’t muster up much of anything. His physical strength might have been coming back to him, but his mental strength had yet to show any return. Even though a small part of him was telling him  _ get up, get up, _ he laid in the blank void for a long time afterwards to try and regain himself.

Eventually, he managed to wrench his eyes open, but he was met with only darkness. He couldn’t feel anything around him, either—perhaps he had died? No… another part of him said otherwise. Besides, a warrior like him…  _ yes, he was a  _ warrior,  _ he remembered… _ could not have died so soon. His previous memories may have been shaky, but he was certain that he was powerful, if his recalled strength was anything to judge by. It felt… odd. Incomplete. In whatever slumber he had been in, had it been drained from him the entire time?

Well, with so much power, this empty void could not contain him. Determinedly, he struggled in the vastness, but it was futile. He was frozen to the spot. But he was a creature of persistence—he drew his leathery wings closer to his body, summoning all of what he had, and flared them outwards, as if it would somehow break him free of his invisible prison.

Something shattered, he could feel it. Yes… it had given way to his power. The void around him was brightening… perhaps too rapidly for his straining eyes, but he had certainly changed something.

As the void around him became a blindingly white hue, he opened his eyes once more. In sharp contrast to the emptiness was… a door. Well, not quite. It seemed to be… some sort of window? It was entirely black in its outline, but through the other side seemed a dusty and dark room. Curious…

_ The Dimension Mirror. _

It hit him all at once, as if he were remembering the aftermath of a dream. Only what he had gone through was no dream. Instantaneously he recalled the war, him being tossed around like a tool, a little exotic item from another world. His heart boiled with seething hatred… what was his name? Nightmare? That fool who thought that he could use the Mirror World for his little game?

He could still remember the man’s face. Sure, he’d been compliant in fighting the war himself… he was willing to fight anyone and those soldiers seemed formidable foes. Nightmare’s goal had never truly mattered to him, so long as the Mirror World was kept out of it. But what Nightmare did to him at the end…

Revenge was in order.

Nevertheless, it seemed he had a good opportunity at freedom. He thought he’d never wake up from the mirror’s seal, but here he was, by some miracle. Or perhaps not. Perhaps he had been summoned to serve another master. Perhaps Nightmare had figured that there was still use in him, and had called on him to fight once again. Not like he knew how much time had passed, so the war could be ongoing…

There was only one way to find out.

He stepped through the mirror.

* * *

To his disappointment, the room he appeared in seemed abandoned.

Boxes and discarded furniture crowded the room, and even the occasional trash pile dotted the place. Firm layers of dust coated almost all the objects—even the Dimension Mirror he exited from, which he was surprised to see shattered, its entrance closed and the silvery sheen now faded into empty clarity. Had he really broken out with that much force?

But… curious. That was all of his theories about Nightmare’s summoning disproven. If this were such an occasion, he’d be ‘welcomed’ back on that metal heap of a base, not this disgusting storage room. Whoever had eventually come into possession of the Dimension Mirror clearly neglected it, likely figuring it was a useless novelty item.

Sparing one last glance at his eternal prison, he turned and began to investigate. Some open windows filtered sunlight onto the floor, and looking out them, he was fairly far up in whatever building this was. Verdant fields and temperate trees, all too characteristic of the light world, stretched for miles in every direction, and he caught a glimpse of a small village. Hm. Civilizations never lasted long in the Mirror World—he knew that all too well from scavenging his favorite ruins.

As he took in the landscape and tried to piece together where he might be—and more importantly,  _ how he might get back to Nightmare’s base— _ he heard voices from beyond the storage room’s doorway coming closer. He darted behind one of the tall stacks of boxes, and called on his reflector shield just to be safe. The light world was not as ruthless as the Mirror World, but he was never one to let his guard down.

The door slammed open, thudding against the wall, as a figure came into view. Albeit more colorful than the version the knight was used to, he recognized the figure easily—the fallen king, Dedede. Although, this version appeared anything but fallen, being haughty and arrogant, if the way he proudly held his hammer over his shoulder was anything to judge by. Just how the Mirror World Dedede had been before his defeat.

But then someone unfamiliar came into view—some sort of snail-like creature. A light purple. It looked quite weak, he noted… mostly for future reference. An easy ambush and an easy victory. Dedede might be tougher, but he knew the old king’s tactics from previous encounters.

“You’re sure the sound came from here, sire?” the snail asked. Dedede swung around wildly, searching for anything broken.

“That racket couldn’ta come from anywhere else!” the king seethed. “Where is that old thing?”

Hm. Perhaps his break through the mirror had been louder than he’d known. That could be possible… after all, he doubted the mirror had been used after his imprisonment. And the sound of breaking glass was… rather unpleasant.

Finally, the king found the Dimension Mirror. “Here! Someone’s gotta have broken this thing just to mess with me!”

“But why would anyone shatter that useless junk, sire? Didn’t even show a reflection.”

“Who knows. But I don’t care why they did it! Whoever did is going to get a beat-down!”

With that, the king stormed out, tailed by the snail.

The knight almost laughed—Dedede beating  _ him _ in anything, battle no less, was  _ hilarious. _ Even his apprentices beat the old fool at everything he tried.

Letting down his reflector shield, he decided more exploration was in order. Although this town looked small and sad, there must have been a teleporter around here somewhere—or just any device that would bring him to Nightmare.

He kept his grip tight on his sword, wrapping his cloak tightly around himself as he entered into the hallway.

* * *

Fumu sighed.

She’d just narrowly escaped the brunt of Dedede’s torment,  _ somehow. _ He was upset about that weird old mirror he kept in one of the storage rooms—something about it breaking and disturbing him. She had no idea why anyone would ever bother with that thing, but someone must have. Oh well.

As she walked down the halls, still ready to have a relaxing afternoon, she was suddenly called back.

“If I may ask… what was that all about?”

She turned to see the masked face of Meta Knight, cape wrapped around him as usual.

Fumu shrugged. “I’m not really sure. That mirror Dedede’s always had just broke for some reason. He’s going around asking people about it. But if you ask me… I sort of just think it broke on its own.”

He tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. “Strange, though, that it would simply shatter… on its own.”

She narrowed her eyes a little. He was getting that kind of inquisitive air about him, the kind that told Fumu he might have known more than she did. “Is there something about the mirror that would make it strange?”

“I cannot be certain. But I have always thought that it may have been connected to NME… Dedede ordered it many years ago on a whim, but it has never done anything.” He paused for a moment. “Perhaps Nightmare’s destruction may have… done something to it.”

Panic immediately flared in Fumu’s mind. Great, even after they’ve dealt with Nightmare, some of his demonbeasts might still be lurking around? In a  _ mirror, _ no less? “Do you… do you think that a demonbeast could have shattered it? Maybe it was some sort of last resort for Nightmare…”

“That could be possible. We must remain alert if such is the case. Keep your guard up.”

As Meta Knight walked away, Fumu couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. But though she looked around… there was no one in sight.

* * *

How unsatisfying.

Nightmare had  _ already been destroyed? _ By what? Or by who? It should have been by his hand, not some measly amateur! It should have been him, the great wielder of Galaxia, the strongest knight in the world!

Even still, it fulfilled some empty part of him to know that the man had been killed. He hoped it was painful.  _ Very _ painful.

But there was more. That knight… yes, it had to be. His light world counterpart. He recognized that face in an instant, the same face he once duelled against while he was Nightmare’s pawn. The same face that he had nearly destroyed, nearly locked away… right before victory was swept out from underneath him. That face was the one responsible for Nightmare’s disappointment in him…

For a moment, he was conflicted. Nightmare used him like a puppet in the first place, but it was that accursed knight that stirred the man’s wrath and discontent. He tossed the ideas around in his head… should he be angry at the other him? Or should he be grateful that the other him fought against his captor?

Even as he considered it, he knew: he was a creature of vengeance. And Nightmare was already dead… which was unfortunate for his new target.

Behind the mask, he was gleaming. Finally… some of his bitter feelings laid to rest.  _ Some of them. _

He glanced in the direction his counterpart went, wondering if the time was right. An ambush now would give away his identity, even though he was  _ very _ tempted to give in to his hellbent nature. Right now, no one knew he even existed—his very presence a mere contemplation. Perhaps it would be better for him to familiarize himself with his new surroundings before he tried something. If anything, he was practical, and getting to know everything about his enemy and his connections was the first step to his victory.

With that, he set out. Though it left him exposed, he successfully made use of his wings and managed to glide through some air currents. But he was still weakened, he realized, and even though he  _ hated it, _ he might have to be inactive a little while longer for recovery. Hm. Well, feigning helplessness could gain him some sympathy, so it wasn’t  _ completely _ worthless.

The entire town was fairly small. Although most of it was rolling fields, there was a sizable forest, a section of badlands, a canyon that seemed to honor some kind of deity, some cropland, a beach, a volcano… no matter how much he spited the light world for its interference in his own, he had to admit that its ability to maintain itself was astonishing. They had impressive structures in the Mirror World, yes, but they were all abandoned and overrun with monsters. Even the grand Peppermint Palace was ruled by nothing and no one, only left to melt away.

When he felt satisfied, he landed underneath a tree for some cover. This place seemed… innocent. There hadn’t been a single one of those beasts he so despised running amok, just villagers roaming about. This land might have been overbearing with all its sunlight and vibrance, but it was a nice change of pace from the dreary shade he was used to.

He sneered as he realized that  _ this _ was the life his wretched counterpart got to live while he was trapped within a cold, lifeless mirror, for so long that his greatest enemy had already been defeated. It was a perfect storm—vengeance now fueled by jealousy. That pathetic knight never stood a  _ chance— _

_ “Poyo?” _

His eyes snapped away.

Staring at him was some sort of… small pink creature. It reminded him of himself if he wasn’t wearing his mask. How insolent. He dwarfed the creature in size and clearly outmatched it in strength. It didn’t appear particularly frightened by him (it should have been), just confused. Perhaps this thing was one of his counterpart’s allies, or was just startled to see a foreign being.

Nevertheless, he knew to not judge entirely by looks. He drew his blade and pointed it at the thing, but it didn’t even move—just stared at him, if actually frightened this time.

“Leave,” he hissed. “You have no business with me.”

_ “Poyo…” _ the creature chirped, holding one of its nubs to its face. It was sort of odd… the more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. But that couldn’t be right. He’d never known another of his species, especially not one so young. It seemed to be some kind of infant, even. Not even worth a fight.

Before he could react, the pink thing’s face brightened. “Meda!” it chimed, running back and forth in front of him. “Meda!”

For whatever reason, he did feel righteous for being recognized as who he was: Meta Knight, even if he wasn’t of this world. At least, that’s who he had to assume the creature was identifying him as… hah. It would turn out to be sorely mistaken soon enough.

Cautiously, he sheathed his sword. It was only his anxiety that would lead him to draw his blade to something so insignificant, he was sure. The creature even seemed to lack the ability to speak properly… good. He didn’t need his plans being ruined this early.

“Hey! Kirby!”

Well. That was something to be worried about.

The creature in front of him—Kirby, it might’ve been—had been too good at attracting attention. Kirby’s spiel was broken by the voice calling out to him, and he instead turned in its direction. The knight saw the opportunity to escape as soon as Kirby turned his back, and he silently jumped up into the tree above them, bringing up his reflector shield… just in case.

It wasn’t long before a child came into view—and what a surprise it was, to see a child being allowed to walk in the open. Were there truly no dangers in this world?

“What is it, Kirby? Did you see someone?”

“Meda—” the creature began to say, before he turned and realized the knight had already vanished, his cheerful expression dropping. “ _ Poyo…?” _

“Meta Knight was here?” the boy muttered. “Well, that’s kinda weird… wonder what he was doing out in the middle of the woods. Hey, you’re not gonna let it ruin our game though, right? We just started!”

_ “Poyo!” _ Kirby chirped, running after the boy in the opposite direction.

Hmph. Games? He had no time for those—no one in the Mirror World did. Just one of the many things the light world took for granted.

But… as he reflected on the encounter, more of his memories returned. Nightmare had once asked him to impersonate Meta Knight, thinking it was one of his cleverest schemes yet… perhaps it was. That would make things all the better for him, wouldn’t it? And people would just trust him blindly, unknowing of the danger lurking just beneath the surface.

His mirror magic, after all, was his main ability, even if his sword made for an excellent weapon. He wondered if he still had it in him…

He spotted a nearby pond in a small clearing, so he rushed over to check his reflection, glancing around to ensure no one was watching. Calling on his illusionism, he opened his eyes to see…

...Hah. Yes. It had  _ worked. _ Sure, he didn’t look  _ exactly _ like his counterpart—some of the small scratches on his mask were visible if he looked at it in a certain light—but the largest scar on his mask was completely gone, his eyes were more yellow than orange, his cloak was repaired, and his wings were mended. Even his blade had changed to gold and was not as “blocky” as it usually was. 

He smirked inwardly. This disguise was enough to fool the Star Warriors for even just a little while… who knew how long it could fool a bunch of wayward villagers? Days, weeks, months?  _ Years? _ Well, when he got rid of his counterpart, it wouldn’t matter how long it fooled them, because then he would be the  _ only _ Meta Knight.

Maybe it would even be good enough to convince them that his  _ counterpart _ was the fake.

_ Hah. _

* * *

Walking around the village freely left him a little anxious. He couldn't help but worry that his illusion would break at any moment, that someone would see through it… But some people greeted him, and he gave them a nod to keep up appearances. He really couldn’t care less about who they were (they all seemed weak), but he had to.

As he explored the village’s interior, he came to a plaza with a large tree in the center, where a girl (the same one he’d seen talking to his counterpart in the corridor) reading underneath it suddenly looked up and spotted him. Abandoning the book, she ran over to him, and for a split second his reflexes told him to draw Galaxia and slash her—that was always his first reaction when someone charged him—but he managed to stop himself, only twitching slightly.

Nevertheless, the girl seemed to notice, her eyes narrowing in concern. But just as soon as she saw it, she brushed it off. “Hey, Meta Knight,” she said. “I was just wondering… have you seen anything weird? I’ve been looking around myself, but everything seems peaceful.”

“Oh, about the mirror. I doubt it matters, now. I investigated it myself. It’s likely that the mirror couldn’t take the weight of its own frame, and shattered. That tends to happen with older ones.” A  _ complete _ lie. He wasn’t even sure if that had ever occurred naturally, but she was a  _ child, _ and they bought almost anything. Especially coming from someone so  _ wise _ as himself.

“...Oh,” the girl murmured. “You’re sure that a demonbeast or Nightmare had nothing to do with it after all?”

He gave a short laugh. It was almost genuine, even, because there  _ was _ something to be laughed at there—he was no demonbeast. His intentions might have been monstrous, but he was nothing like one of those despicable creatures. “Impossible. All of Nightmare’s mirror monsters, few as they were, were destroyed a long time ago.” Another half-truth.

“Well, I don’t know. It might still be worth looking into,” she offered. “If there’s a demonbeast still around, we don’t want it hurting anyone.”

Hm. Maybe he’d humor this girl for just a while. “I suppose that is true. I will keep a lookout for any of these demonbeasts, just in case.”

With that, he began to leave. Holding conversation for too long could build some more suspicion…

“Hey, uh,” she called out, and he stopped. “Uh… are you alright? You just seem a little on-edge.”

He acted fast. “It’s nothing, I promise.”

But he didn’t miss how she stared after him. Hm. She would be a problem…

* * *

For the most part, he had finished his ground exploration. He’d tried to let himself relax for once, but he was constantly alert, watching for his counterpart.

It was almost ironic. Here he was, in a monsterless land, and he was still paranoid. He should have finally been free… but his heart wouldn’t allow it. Not that he particularly minded. He knew he could’ve run away and enjoyed the world in peace, but vengeance would always trouble him, and either way, he’d return to put his mind to rest.

He was walking down a footpath towards a beach—so bright compared to Olive Ocean—when he was startled by a whirring, thunderous noise. His mind jumped to a monster before he could think about it, and he turned, grip vice on the hilt of his already half-drawn blade. It took all his willpower to keep his composure and not charge the machine that came into his view, and he was ashamed that the other part of him said to flee.

Curiously, Dedede seemed to be controlling the machine, with his snail partner beside him, babbling about… whatever incessant affairs they were into. The machine jumped to a stop when it pulled dangerously next to him, the snail’s side closest to him. If he wasn’t acting as his counterpart right now… these two would have faced the brunt of his impulses, to put it lightly.

“Yo! Meta Knight!” the penguin barked, shoving his partner into the seat’s headrest. “I got a job for you!”

He tilted his head to the side in mock-interest. “And what would that be?”

“His Highness wants you to look into making reparations to that mirror. See, it’s a special novelty item, and…”

The snail had begun speaking, but he was already concentrating on something else. If this lunatic had any semblance of work to give him, he didn’t care. When he was finished with this place, depending on how his plans escalated, the king might not even have any power left to order him around.

…

_ On the ground laid the old king, long having fallen from the efforts of him and his apprentices. _

_ For their first true opponent, Javelin and Trident had done well, even if he had to do most of the work. But sure enough, Peppermint Palace’s new tyrant had been removed. Just as he had been removed from Carrot Castle and Moonlight Mansion before. _

_ “Well? Have you accepted defeat?” _

_ The bird only grumbled something he couldn’t quite catch, but he knew it to be denial, just like all the previous times. Trident and Javelin still held their weapons, intent on skewering him if he rose again—but there was no point. He was down. _

_ “Dethroned for the third time,” he continued. “How humiliating.” _

_ [Do we need to do anything else, sir?] Javelin droned, turning to him. _

_ “That’s enough. If this old fool tries to rise up again…” He glared at the crumpled king. “Then it won’t be long before we destroy him.” _

_ … _

“Meta Knight! Are you even listening?!”

He almost sliced the Dedede in front of him for breaking his thoughts, twitching as he almost began the motion, just like he did with that girl—but stopped himself just in time.

“Yes,  _ your majesty,” _ he muttered. Even though he wasn’t speaking to his Dedede, it was still infuriating to grace any version of this fool with such a title.

“This guy’s more useless than a can of empty sardines…” the snail beside him grumbled.

“Then listen up! Get to it and start searchin’ for someone who can fix that thing!”

Without even waiting for his reply, the machine roared to life, doing a vicarious U-turn right in front of him. He watched Dedede and his little contraption leave, wracking his mind for what that might have been. The Mirror World was never very technologically advanced—not like there were many innovators around. Whatever that thing was, it wouldn’t be useful to his plans right now, but perhaps in the future…

He’d figure that out if it came to it.

* * *

Meta Knight had always been mysterious and a little strange, but Fumu had never seen him act… anxious? Afraid? Nervous? She couldn’t really put her finger on it.

Whatever the case, he certainly hadn’t been like that this morning. And the way he dismissed the mirror was so… unlike him. He was always suspicious of Dedede and always got to the core of any mystery—why not this time? Granted, Nightmare was gone, but there could be some sort of backup demonbeast roaming the place. Maybe he was just on-edge about the demonbeast, or he was just lying to her to make her feel better? But that didn’t make any sense… he would’ve absolutely told her if he sensed something was wrong. Just like he did earlier…

Maybe she’d better check in with him often, then. And checking on Kirby couldn’t hurt either.

The sun was beginning to set by this point, and she decided it would be best to return to the castle. Maybe someone back there—her brother, Lola, Blade and Sword, or even Dedede or Escargoon—might’ve noticed Meta Knight’s odd behavior. Not that he was behaving too strangely, but if she’d learned anything from fighting against Nightmare and his demonbeasts, it was that she was always right to be suspicious.

As she entered through the drawbridge, everything seemed peaceful as usual. The chaos from the mirror’s shattering had seemingly diminished. Without NME around to supply demonbeasts, Dedede had been forced to leave most of his minor inconveniences canned, so she could only hope he’d forget about it for good.

It wasn’t long before she spotted her brother playing a last-minute game of football with Kirby, who was having just a bit of trouble not  _ becoming _ the ball.

“Hey, you two,” she started, and both of them stopped playing to look at her.

“What’s up, Fumu?”

“I just wanted to ask… have either of you noticed Meta Knight acting strange lately? I talked to him a little while ago about that mirror, and he seemed… anxious, or something like that.”

Bun crossed his arms. “I haven’t talked to him all day, but Kirby did say that he saw him in the woods. I thought it was kinda weird.” He tilted his head. “What do you mean by anxious, though?”

That  _ was _ weird. Meta Knight was known for always being in strange locations, but what would he be in the middle of the woods for? Maybe looking for the demonbeast?

“It’s just that when I saw him in town, he flinched when I walked over to him… I’d never seen him do that before.”

“I was not in town today.”

The three of them turned to see Meta Knight jump from one of the castle’s vantage points and land on the grass, eyes burning. Fumu’s heart sank.

“What do you mean, you weren’t in town? I talked to you about the mirror. You said that it wasn’t anything to worry about.”

“The only time I spoke to you was this morning. I have remained at the castle all day for any signs of the demonbeast…” His eyes burned even more, contemplating. “There has been nothing odd here, but it seems that you’ve run into something quite… strange.”

“Then what’s going on?” Her first guess was impersonation, which was not the first time a demonbeast had done this—Popon had pretended to be Chef Shiitake all that time ago. But impersonating Meta Knight? That was unheard of. “Do you think someone could be impersonating you?”

“That would seem the most likely option, unfortunately.” He paused, staring at the sunset. “But I think I might know the identity of this imposter… during the war, Nightmare somehow created a copy of me to infiltrate the Star Warriors and destroy them from the inside. However, it wasn’t long before this copy was exposed, and I subdued him. And yet, even in his true form, he did look like me… I had always assumed he had died, but it could be possible that he is still… alive.”

“That’s crazy! Nightmare could create copies of people?” Bun cried. “Do you think there might be copies of other people out there, too?”

“Possibly,” Meta Knight hummed, “but this imposter is our concern at the moment. I do not know if he is after me or Kirby, but we must remain on high alert. I’ll tell the others.”

“Right,” Fumu nodded, and turned to Kirby and her brother. “Kirby, you should stick with us for tonight. Bun, it’d be best if we went home.”

Bun’s expression dropped at his game being interrupted, but accepted it anyway. “Alright. I guess if there’s a demonbeast around…”

Meta Knight’s voice cut in from behind them. “That is… another thing. I am uncertain if this imposter is a demonbeast in the first place. He may or may not have been created by Nightmare, but… hm.” He tilted his head. “Never mind.”

Fumu watched Meta Knight leave carefully, thinking over his words. Not a demonbeast? But if he had been a part of Nightmare’s army, why wouldn’t he be? Well, Yamikage  _ technically _ wasn’t a demonbeast, and had defected to serve Nightmare instead… maybe it was a similar situation? But then why would the imposter, even in his true form, resemble Meta Knight at all?

She shook her head. She really hoped she wouldn’t have to find out the answer to any of those questions, but at the same time, a confrontation with this imposter was imminent. Who knows what he could’ve been planning. Whatever it was, they had to stop it.

“Let’s go, you two.”

* * *

The sky was getting dark.

Dusk settled over the land. He was standing at the top of a high ridge in the canyon, surveying the darkening village. And as he basked in the moonlight, he could almost imagine he was back home…

…

_ “Good work, you two.” _

_ It wasn’t often that he praised his apprentices, but they had done an exceptional job at getting rid of that golem. He didn’t even have to step in once. Sure, the creature might have been weak, but he reminded himself that when he first began training… progress was agonizingly slow, too. _

_ Behind their armor, Trident and Javelin were far from expressive, but he could tell that they were happy with his praise. _

_ “Thank you, Sir Meta Knight.” Trident bowed. “We trained hard for it.” _

_ “Indeed.” He looked at the remains of the stone beast, now nothing more than rubble and dust. “That is one less monster to wreak havoc here.” _

_ [Uh,] Javelin buzzed. [What would you like us to do now?] _

_ “We have more work to do in the rest of the world. Our next target should be that rodent in Cabbage Cavern. Thanks to that thing… the place is overrun with its spawn.” There was hardly anything that he hated more than monsters, but it seemed that every single stretch of the Mirror World was infested with them. And for what? By who? Was it just the inherent nature of the place? If so… he wished that he had been born someplace better. Someplace… safer. But he had long ago learned to give up on those worthless wishes. _

_ [Sir Meta Knight? You should come look at this.] _

_ His attention was snapped away to his apprentices, who were looking down at some small, shining object in the debris of the monster. Walking over, he picked it up and observed it. It seemed to be… some sort of glass shard. _

_ “I think it was inside the golem, sir,” Trident said. No way. But why would a little glass shard be inside of…? _

_ “The mirror.” Instantaneously, he remembered that odd, broken thing in the middle of Central Circle. He’d spent many hours looking at it, wondering what it could be for, as he recovered from his injuries in the clouds. But looking at this tiny shard in his hand, somehow it all made sense. This must have been a broken part of the mirror; there was no questioning it. “We’re going back to Central Circle.” _

_ [You really think it could be for that mirror, sir? But why would the shards be scattered like this? Why would this _ golem _ have it?] _

_ “Do not doubt me, Javelin. I am certain of it.” He looked up at the stars. “I do not know why this shard would be here… but this makes it all the more imperative to continue our quest. If this menace had a shard, then it is likely that the beast of Cabbage Cavern has one as well.” He hid the shard in his cloak. “You two may rest for now, but don’t be long. Our journey has only just begun.” _

_ And there, standing at the top of Moonlight Mansion, basking in its eternal moonlight, he made the worst mistake of his life. _

_ … _

He blinked.

That must have been… hundreds, no, perhaps  _ thousands _ of years ago. And yet it only felt like—well, not yesterday—but a few weeks ago. When he came to serve under Nightmare, he had long accepted that his apprentices were doomed. That man always spelled demise for any creature not useful enough. And yet… he could never shake the remorse. He did not regret being cold-hearted while training them, but he did regret leaving them behind. They should not have been so blindly loyal to him… and still, why him? He was a menace to all those who crossed him, and yet Trident and Javelin remained, ever-devoted to the one that had almost killed them. They shouldn’t have been impressed by his power, they should have feared him. They shouldn’t have been intrigued by his ambitions… they should have seen his greed.

If he hadn’t apprenticed them, would Nightmare have ignored them?

...No. He couldn’t allow himself those hypothetical thoughts.  _ The past is the past, _ he told himself. He could add their fates to his list of reasons for vengeance against his counterpart.

And speaking of his counterpart, he was getting impatient. He’d never held off an attack for this long, and he  _ hated _ it. He looked to the night sky again, and wondered… in the veil of darkness, would he be able to silence his enemy without alerting anyone? The temptation was strong, but if his plans failed, he knew he’d never forgive himself for slipping up on such a golden opportunity.

Hm… maybe he should just check up on his little  _ friends _ for now. He’d seen that girl walk towards the castle, and figured that she must’ve been some type of aristocrat or noble. How archaic. 

Either way, he drew out his wings and went for the palace, unseeable against the black sky.

* * *

_ “What? _ An imposter?”

The castle’s main residents—Fumu, Bun, their parents, Kirby, Lola, Meta Knight and his apprentices, and of course Dedede and Escargoon—were gathered just outside of the Cabinet Minister’s room. Fumu had just informed everyone of Meta Knight’s potential doppelgänger.

“We think it’s got something to do with that mirror. A demonbeast must have come out of it and shattered it.” Fumu’s face grew grim. “Why’d you order that thing, anyway?”

Dedede crossed his arms, aggressive. He’d always been bitter whenever NME was brought up. “That Customer Service guy said that it was supposed to contain some kinda powerful warrior. But I could never figure out how to make the dang thing come out! So I just shoved it up in that room!” He bonked Escargoon’s head next to him, who recoiled and grasped his forehead in pain. “Probably sent us a phony thing, that’s what.”

“I think that NME might’ve just been wanting to get rid of something useless,” Lola offered. “They wanted to get rid of me for the same reason… why wouldn’t they try it again?”

Bun huffed. “Well, it’s clearly not useless now.”

A silence fell over the room. Everyone seemed nervous—even Dedede—but Fumu’s frustration was rising, just a bit. They were just going over the same things over and over, and weren’t coming to any definite conclusions. Either this imposter better show himself soon, or they might have to hunt him down themselves. Which didn’t really seem like a good idea, but if he started causing enough trouble, they’d have to.

Surprisingly, Meta Knight was the first to speak. “Just keep a lookout for anything strange. To prevent any confusion, I will be in my quarters and will not leave for any reason, unless the imposter makes a move.” He turned to leave. “If you see him, do not confront him. He is dangerous. Let Kirby handle him if you must.”

Kirby murmured uncertainly, and Fumu patted him gently on the head. “Don’t worry, Kirby. You defeated Nightmare. There’s no way this guy can beat you.”

The puffball didn’t seem too assured, but lightened up a little all the same.

As Meta Knight continued down the corridor to his room, Sword walked a little further ahead to speak with him.

“Sir Meta Knight, if it comes down to it, we’ll do everything we can to protect you.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I doubt that the imposter will have much interest in you,” he replied. “It is likely… that he wants revenge against me specifically. Your diversions will have little effect.”

“Even still,” Blade said at his other side, “we will do everything we can to help you.”

He nodded solemnly. “Thank you, you two.”

* * *

That interaction had told him a lot.

First, his disguise had been seen through immediately, which was… frustrating beyond all belief. Now there wasn’t a chance that his original plan could go smoothly. Just his luck. But he was a master of improvisation: instead, he decided, he would simply destroy his counterpart and flee.

Second, these people were  _ fools _ to think that that tiny  _ powerless _ creature would be able to stop him at all. He’d simply slice him with his blade, and it would be over.

Third, he’d been shipped off to this land like a worthless novelty item after Nightmare cursed him. Just like that, he’d been left to rot in this horrid castle’s storage, of all things, his former glory and dignity stripped from him. His blood boiled… he  _ really _ wanted to slice that man. Whoever had done the misdeed of killing Nightmare before him… they would be destroyed without hesitation.

Fourth, his jealousy only grew to see that his counterpart not only had apprentices as well, but  _ alive _ apprentices. They looked nothing like Trident and Javelin, but the loyalty was all there. It was unreasonable, he knew, but he spited his counterpart for not having his foolishness. 

If only he hadn’t been so blind that day…

But even in his anger, he knew it was time to move. Time to act. Silently, he followed his counterpart through the castle halls, making good use of his reflector shield to make himself appear almost invisible. It was one of his more energy-expensive abilities, but a necessary one if he was going to succeed.

It wasn’t long before the three entered a nondescript door, and into a small room. He slipped inside just before it closed, and made note of his surroundings.

What a tiny space. Even the desecrated rooms of Moonlight Mansion were better than this, labyrinthine and unusable as they were. An empty table, save for its tablecloth, was in the center of the room, surrounded by some cushions. There was some sort of device with a screen on it to the right, with a wooden chair situated in front of it. Some kitchen appliances (a rare commodity in the Mirror World) were in the corner, and an unlit fireplace was at the far left.

Not his ideal battleground, but it would have to do. Hopefully he would be able to take the battle into the halls, perhaps even outside—fighting in buildings had never been his strong suit. But this time, he had the advantage.

Before his counterpart got much further into the room, he stopped. He must have sensed him. Unsurprising—if he were in his place, he would have, too.

His apprentices only looked confused. 

“Meta—”

He didn’t allow them to finish. He let down his reflector and charged forward, managing to cut his counterpart in the split second it took him to turn. He was aware that his disguise wasn’t up, but there was no point to that now.

“You!” his counterpart shouted, and instantaneously, his two apprentices lunged at him, but he deflected them with ease. 

Too much like Javelin and Trident, always making the second move, no tactics.

His counterpart was cleverer, waiting until he tried to strike again so he could block it with his own blade. One of his apprentices, the blue-armored one, recovered quickly and attempted to slash him, only to be hit by the spikes on his wings, which he now had flared outwards. Dangerous to leave them out in the open, but effective weapons.

“Surprised to see me?” he taunted, stabbing and being blocked by his counterpart again. “I would expect as such. How foolish of you, to think that Nightmare could hold me forever!”

Now both the apprentices were flanking him, so he saw the opportunity to step backwards, slamming the door open with his wings and jumping back into the hallway. Like idiots, they followed him, still doing their best to parry his attacks.

He was directing them towards the balcony to make his escape and jump onto the ground below, certain that at least his main target would follow him. They seemed to realize what he was doing, but it wasn’t like they could do anything about it. He was both the assailant and the hunted: he was in control of the battle.

And yet his weakness from being locked in the mirror must have risen for just a fraction of a second, because his counterpart actually managed to cut him, making him recoil and growl in pain. Simple swordplay was getting boring, he decided. It was time to make use of his  _ other _ abilities.

Flapping his wings just once to give him some height, he split himself in two just for a moment—his dark mirror attack—sending both of his counterpart’s apprentices flying backwards. His counterpart himself, though, managed to dodge and protect himself just in time.

In the attack’s aftermath, his counterpart moved slowly. Obviously, he had not anticipated the knight’s true capabilities. “You… are not a copy.”

“Aren’t you so clever,” he hissed, flaming at the thought that he would be a mere  _ copy _ of this little knight. No, he was so much more than that. He was the great Meta Knight, the  _ true _ Meta Knight! “How pretentious of you to think so!”

That mirror attack had given him a rush he hadn’t felt in a  _ long _ time. He’d long forgotten how his magic felt to use, and to finally utilize it, in a  _ battle of revenge _ no less, returned his confidence and adrenaline to him all at once.

With those two out for a while (even  _ his _ apprentices could’ve taken more of a hit than  _ that) _ , he figured it was time to clean up.

Time to strike.

Although his counterpart rushed him, he managed to get airborne and dodge. Didn’t his counterpart have wings? Or was he just too weak to use them?

“This is where you meet your end,  _ Meta Knight,” _ he spat, with all the fury and hatred he’d bottled over years of imprisonment, over years of war, over years of emptiness. “By your hand, I suffered for thousands of years in that mirror. And by my hand, you shall suffer for all eternity in the realm of death!” 

He readied his attack, and all his feeble counterpart could do was draw his cape around himself, as if by some futile means to guard. 

“Finally, my revenge…”

And though he  _ almost _ did it— _ victory right within his grasp— _ his attack was intercepted.

It did not fire.

He hit the ground with a dull thud, unable to tell what had just hit him. Certainly neither his counterpart nor the guards had done that. Though both his apprentices had gotten back up, they were too far away.

He looked down the opposite corridor.

There was that little pink pest, eyes determined and angry. But he was wearing some kind of… hat. With eyes. It was yellow in color with a white bill, two white wings on the sides and a single cutter blade atop it. Behind Kirby was the girl he’d spoken to earlier with her arms crossed, accompanied by who he assumed to be her brother.

He recollected himself quickly. Perhaps that little creature had more potential than he might’ve thought, if he was skilled enough to hit him midair.

“Opposing me is not a good idea,  _ child.” _ He pointed his blade at him. “You will regret interfering!”

Even still, his words didn’t seem to cut through their arrogance in the slightest. He glanced at his counterpart, who only watched back carefully.

The girl stepped forward, hands now fisted at her sides. “Just who are you?!”

“I am the great Mirror World warrior Meta Knight!” He slashed his sword to accentuate his words—and show off some of his incredible power. “If you wish to remain alive, stay out of my way!”

“The Mirror World…” his counterpart mumbled beside him. Curious. Did he actually know anything about his homeland? “That explains why you were trapped in there…”

No. No, it did not. How wonderful it would have been if he were trapped in that wasteland rather than unconsciousness for these past thousand few years. How wonderful that would have been in comparison to the everlasting void. “Nightmare banished and cursed me within that mirror… after my defeat at your hands! It is your fault that I spent so many years in nothingness!” He turned his blade to face his counterpart, allowing it to shimmer in what little moonlight there was. “You must be eliminated! My revenge shall be glorious!”

The girl’s eyes turned fierce. “Kirby! Go get him!”

Oddly, his counterpart stepped back. He was still on guard, but obviously… spectating. How blind! Could he really not see that his power far outmatched whatever that child possessed? And nevertheless, Kirby stepped up to challenge him, grip firm on the cutter blade.

He could only glare at his new opponent. “You will be a breeze to defeat, child. This is your mistake.”

Rushing forward, he tried for his dark calibur move, only for the child to dodge out of his way just in time. Spinning around, he deflected the cutter blade thrown at him, cutting it cleanly in half—only for more to regenerate in his opponent’s hand. That… was not normal. But he shrugged it off. If that had been that, this fight would have been  _ far _ too easy.

Slashing three more of the cutter blades, he tried for another move—three of his crescent sword beams, which screamed through the air and cut up the stone walls as they went along. Infuriatingly, the child had managed to dodge once again, being barely missed by his last sword beam.

“You are an excellent dodger, I admit.” He readied his dark mirror attack, getting just enough leverage off the ground to safely split himself. His heart twisted in satisfaction as he saw the child had been hit, bouncing off the back wall. “But it seems you are unprepared for anything other than my swordplay!”

From behind him, the girl and her brother seemed exasperated at his move. Unsurprising. He wouldn’t expect his counterpart to know the slightest bit of magic, no less  _ mirror  _ magic.

“Fumu, he’s like… Mirror Kirby, or something!” said the brother of the girl, who he assumed to be Fumu.  _ Mirror Kirby? _ Was this Kirby thing also capable of using mirror magic? It seemed… impossible, but he certainly hadn’t expected the child to be proficient with cutter blades either…

He gave Kirby no time to get back up—he’d long learned ruthlessness was the only way to victory. He was just about to skewer the child with his blade when his counterpart got in the way, slashing him clean across his shoulder. Snarling, he jumped back before he could do any further damage.

“It is unwise to underestimate this child,” his counterpart said, as if he were some sort of  _ youngling. _ “You should know he is the one who defeated Nightmare.”

_...What? _

This… this  _ mere child _ was responsible for the downfall of his former excuse for a master? How could that be possible? Could Nightmare have really fallen to such lows while he wasted away in the mirror?

That did not matter. He had accomplished his goal. He had located the one who had slain Nightmare in his place… and as such, they must be obliterated.

“If that is so, then I will destroy him, too.” He gave a brusque slash at his counterpart, which he parried just before it hit. “Whoever killed Nightmare before I got the chance will suffer the same fate as you!”

In their conversation, Kirby managed to get up, and took over for his counterpart, throwing a barrage of cutter blades his way. And at a much faster pace than before. He hated to admit it, but it was almost hard to keep up with slashing them—

One cut against his left wing’s membrane.

Not too much, but the edges. He hissed in pain—it was time to take this battle outside. Fighting inside would only become riskier for him as time went on.

It wasn’t so easy to fly anymore, not with the searing pain in his wing, but he managed to jump up and take flight, soaring through the large window in the castle. But he couldn’t make it much further than just beyond the castle walls, and landed at the edge of its moat—the pain had increased tenfold even just during that short journey, and he didn’t want to risk anything.

Soon after, Kirby appeared, jumping down… on top of him? Hah. He prepared to slice his sword upwards to simply cleave him in half at the right moment, but then he noticed the cutter blade in his hands. The intentional fall. Panicking, he dodged to the left and just barely missed the downward attack. Kirby attempted to swordfight him with a new cutter blade, ashamedly landing a hard hit on his mask. Not enough to leave a significant scratch, but a scratch nonetheless, and the impact caused him to stumble backwards in shock.

He was too busy battling to notice that the rest of the child’s friends had followed him outside, including his counterpart. Although the nerves in his wing felt like lines of fire, he fought through it, readying his infamous blade burst move. The two mirrors manifested, surrounding his target, before the swords appeared and slashed the child before he even knew it.

Now  _ that _ was satisfying. But how badly he wished he could’ve done the same thing to Nightmare.

“Give up while you still can.” It was a false promise of mercy, sure, because he knew as soon as Kirby’s guard was down, he would move in and deliver the final strike. “If you do it now… perhaps I might spare you.”

Once again, the child was undeterred by his words. As quickly as he’d fallen, and as beaten as he appeared, he rose and readied his cutter. Inwardly, he scowled. Such insolence. Had his counterpart taught this creature nothing?

For a while, their fight continued—frustratingly, most of his blows were parried or dodged, while as time went on, it seemed that more and more of Kirby’s attacks were landing. It wasn’t too long before his body was covered in small cuts from the blades, and there was another slice on the edge of his right wing. And besides that, he was getting… tired. He was quick to blame it on his time in the mirror, but was that true? He hadn’t recalled any enemy he’d ever fought not succumbing to his power in a matter of minutes. This fight had likely been going on for ten…

Curse this child getting in his way. He was so close to finishing off his counterpart!  _ So close to getting revenge! _ And this little  _ thing _ just had the nerve to interfere, just had the nerve to fight him… was he always doomed to get  _ right _ to his goal, just before it was all ripped away from him? He thought that he would be free when he assembled the mirror shards, only for Nightmare to puppet him. He thought he would be free when he finally awoke from the mirror, only for this…

As the fight continued, he was backed into an alcove between a lowland and a hill, not too far from the castle. The moment he realized it, all those years of failed battles and  _ fear _ came back to him.  _ He had to get out of this. Soon. _ Either he escaped now with ease—well, ease aside for the pain in his wings—or he destroyed the child, if that was even possible, and finished off his counterpart… if he still had the strength.

When another cutter blade aimed for his face, he was too distracted by his paranoia to notice, and it sliced  _ just next to _ the indent on his mask. The horrible sound of sharp metal against metal, no matter how brief, shocked him into action—he drew his blade on pure instinct, missing by just a fraction as Kirby leaped into the air. How was it even possible for…?

But then he registered that the cutter blade was coming down directly on him.  _ He was going to be sliced in two. _ Memories flooded him and all he could do was fumble to fight back.

He had to take out this threat.  _ Immediately. _

All the tact he had before vanished. He aimed for his spiral move, trying to intercept the child’s attack. Even drowning in terror, he was so sure that it was going to work, going to hit…

Until it didn’t. Until the cutter blade struck straight down his mask, and knocked him  _ hard _ against the ground.

He knew the slice hadn’t been enough to leave too much of a mark, nowhere near the most prominent cut on his mask, but he  _ definitely _ felt the impact. Having his mask slammed back into his face was enough to disorient him for quite a while. And crashing back into the ground was… almost excruciating. Every single one of his nerves was shot with pain.

He was seething underneath his armor, but there was nothing he could do.

It was over.

He had been defeated by this  _ measly pink thing. _

It took a few moments for his vision to clear. Kirby stood before him, staring at him like some sort of injured dog. He struggled to get up… what  _ was _ Kirby? Why had such great power been gifted to an  _ infant, _ of all things?

“You…” he snarled, but it was a faint and tired noise. He couldn’t recall ever feeling this…  _ defeated. _ “Nightmare’s demise… I suppose I can see it… now.”

And he could. It was all too likely that man made the same mistake. Underestimating the child’s power… unable to see his true potential. Inwardly, he sighed, even in spite of all his rage. He did feel a twinge of respect for Nightmare’s killer, as powerful as he was, but he had still taken that opportunity from him…

When he finally did manage to get up, he felt exhausted. His body was aching all over again, the aching that was deep in his bones and infected his mind. He tried to flap his wings once to test their stability. If he was too weak to fly away…

Fortunately, the pain from the cuts seemed to have dulled. Not healed, but dulled. He could make it… somewhere. Not far, but far  _ enough. _

Kirby flinched when he rose again, but even he knew that there was no chance of the battle continuing. All his cutter blades were withdrawn, and oddly he looked more…  _ concerned _ than anything. But why would the child be concerned for  _ him? _ They were just trying to destroy each other!  


“It’s over!”

The girl—Fumu, he remembered—was now standing at Kirby’s side, still determined and angry. He narrowed his eyes. They were almost asking for it… as much as he hated losing, he  _ hated _ being taunted even more.

“Not yet…” He beat his wings once again to be certain. Yes… in spite of his temporary defeat, he could rely on his strength. He was still the great warrior… “You might have held me off for now… but what you have seen is a mere fraction of my power!” Gathering himself, he leaped up into the air, managing to hover for just a moment to get one last word in. “I shall return… and you will all be destroyed!”

With that, he set off into the shadows of the night, left with nothing but failure.

* * *

Well…  _ that _ was over with.

And Fumu had a  _ lot _ of questions. That guy claimed to be Meta Knight, but that couldn’t be possible… and he also claimed to be from some sort of “Mirror World”, whatever that meant. And he seemed to have some kind of mirror magic, but to a different extent than what Mirror Kirby had.

Then the guy just vanished, promising to return and destroy them. That couldn’t be good… but she supposed that was a bridge they’d cross when they got there. Kirby would probably just defeat him again, anyway.

Still: Meta Knight had a lot of explaining to do.

“The Mirror World,” she was saying to him the next day, “you seemed to know what it was. So what…?”

“It’s a small planet just above Dream Land. In the past, it was renowned for its legendary mirrors,” he began. They were standing on a small bridge in the countryside, overlooking a brook and a meadow, leaves and grasses swaying in the wind. “Even long before I began fighting in the war, I investigated the mirrors… it was said that wishes reflected in them would come true, but the mirrors seemed inactive. There is not much I know about it other than that. All efforts to access the Mirror World have failed.”

Fumu crossed her arms. That sort of made sense… she had been confused as to why there might be another version of Meta Knight specifically, but if the knight had investigated the mirrors personally… “So that guy… you don’t think he was just a copy? Maybe when you looked in the mirror, it actually worked. Maybe he’s some sort of reflection of you.”

Meta Knight paused, considering her words. “Very wise of you. I had considered the same thing, but I am unsure if we will ever get a definite answer.”

And speaking of that guy, Fumu hadn’t forgotten her anger with him for a second. That coward just beat up Meta Knight and Kirby and fled! Granted,  _ he also _ got beat up, and pretty badly too, but still. “I just don’t understand him… he’s so intent on destroying you and Kirby when he shouldn’t even be angry with you at all! He should be mad at Nightmare for using him like that!”

“Indeed he is.” Meta Knight tilted his head to the side. “But Nightmare is dead. Revenge burns especially strong in the hearts of the troubled… he has redirected his anger towards the both of us. If he cannot get revenge on Nightmare, then he will get revenge on us.”

“I almost feel bad for him. I mean… he’s vengeful, sure, but he’s still just taking out his anger on the wrong people. If he comes back… I don’t know.” She glanced up at the sky, as if expecting him to swoop down at any moment. “Maybe he’s got a little bit of your reason in him.”

“Perhaps,” the knight hummed. “But for now, our only option with him is to wait.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! i might do a follow up to this if i get the motivation and some ideas but i'm not sure... could also just write something about this concept in general so... yeah!


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